Electric circuit controlling appliance



June 18, 1935. J. SACHS ELECTRIC CIRCUIT CONTROLLING APPLIANCE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 1'7. 1934 Invent 0r seph Sachs June 18, 1935.

J. SACHS ELECTRIC CIRCUIT CONTROLLING APPLIANCE Filed July 17. 1934 2 SheetsSheet 2 Jasqph 55 Chi;

Patented June 18, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Joseph Sachs, West Hartford, Conn. Application III]! 17, 193, N0. 735,565

8 Claims. (01. 200- 16) This invention relates particularly to an appliance of the general character disclosed in my copending application for Electric circuit controlling appliances, Serial No. 659,922, filed March 7, 1933. The appliance shown in the said application includes two stationary opposed switch contacts and a switching member rectilinearly movable between them, and it also includes a removable insulating retainer plate at the front of the switching member for normally holding the said switching member in place 'and guiding it. Formed integrally with the retainer plate are rearward projections located to provide opposite insulating walls closely adjacent the paths of movement of the switching member so as to minimize arcing.

In accordance with the present invention I provide removable insulating blocks closely adiacent the paths of movement of themovable contact, but these blocks are entirely separate from the front retaining plate although they are normally held in place thereby. By providing separate insulating blocks various important advantages are obtained, as will be apparent from the following specification and claims.

In the drawings I have shown the embodiment of the invention which I now deem preferable, but it will be understood that the drawings are intended for illustrative purposes only and are not to be construed as defining or limiting the scope of the invention, the claims forming a part of this specification being relied upon for that purpose.

Of the drawings: v 35 Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front view of a circuit controlling appliance embodying the invention,

portions of the enclosing box being broken away and the front cover thereof being entirely omitted. v 40 Fig. 2 is a combined elevational and sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing parts of one of the switching units separated from each other.

In the drawings I have shown a two-pole switch, but inasmuch as the parts for the two poles, are identical in construction, except for reversal of arrangement, it will be suflicient to describe only one set of parts, as for instance, those at the right.

, i represents as an entirety the enclosing box which is or may be of any usual or preferred construction. It has a rear wall I and side walls I", l Mounted in the side walls is a cranked operating spindle 2 of conventional form having an exterior handle 2'. I

Secured to ,a rear supporting wall, which may be and preferably is the aforesaid rear wall I of the enclosing box, is an insulating means or block 3 for supporting the stationary switch contacts. Preferably there is a separate block 3 for each leg of thecircuit, but as to this I do not limit myself. The block 3 is held in place on the wall I by means of screws 4, 4. Projecting forward from the block 3 are two opposed stationary switch contacts 5 and 6, these contacts being perpendicular to the block 3 and having at their inner sides parallel contact faces. The contacts 5 and 6 are held in place respectively by means of screws I and 3. Electrically connected with the contact 5 is a wire connecting lug 9. Preferably a fuse contact III is directly supported upon and electrically connected with the front portion of the contact 6. As shown the contact III is adapted for receiving a fuse of the knife blade type, but the invention is not so limited.

For making and breaking the circuit between the stationary switch contacts 5 and 6 I provide a switching member which is rectilinearly movable between them parallelly with the rear sup- 25 porting wall I. The switching member comprises a thin fiat insulating element orplate H which supports or carries a movable contact l2 having its outer contact faces spaced apart sufliciently to engage the inner contact faces of the two stationary contacts 5 and 6. The switching member is guided in part at the rear by the insulating block 3 and it is additionally guided at the rear by means ofmetallic plates l3, l3 which are secured to it and which project rearward into guiding engagement with the rear wall I of the box. Pins ll, II are provided on the block 3 for engaging the insulating plate II to limit lateral movement thereof. The pins I4, I are spaced apart sufficiently to allow limited lateral movement of the switching member, thus enabling the said member to adjust itself laterally so as to provide the most efl'ective contact between the stationary contacts and the movable contact.

The insulating plate II is provided at H with a slot adapted to receive the crank portion of the spindle 2. By means of the cranked spindle the switching member can be moved rectilinearly. With the parts in the position shown in Fig. l, 50 the contact l2 of the switching. member is disengaged from the stationary contacts 5 and 3, but by moving the handle 2 of the spindle upward the switching member can be moved downward so as to bring the movable contact l2 into contacting engagement'with the stationary contacts I and I.

Two stationary insulating blocks ii, II are provided having walls. which are closely adjacent the paths'of movement of the contact faces of the movable contact If. These blocks are separate from the insulating block 3 and are readily removable therefrom. but they are preferably connected with the said block 3 so as to be supported thereby. .As shown, each block I! is provided with a rearward extending pin-l8 adapted to enter a suitable hole n in the block a. The ins", Is

- edges of the plate ll.

normally serve to hold the blocks", I! in position, but the said pins leave the said blocks free to be removed in the forward direction. Preferably the insulating member il-IZ car- .ries a movable arc resisting structure I! of the type set forth in my copending application for Electric switches, Serial No. 616,407 filed June 10, 1982, on which has been issued Patent No. 1,993,416 datedMarch 5, 1935. The insulatin plate I I is provided with a rectangular hole which permits the movable contact I! to be initia-lLv bent to shape and then assembled with the plate than the plate II and the said block it cooperates directly with the stationary blocks l5, I! to provide a restricted passage which tends to pinch out or at least minimize the action of any arcs that may be formed between the stationary contacts i and i and the movable contact l2.

At the front of the switching member li-il and at the front of the insulatingblocks IS, i5 is mounted a block or plate which serves'as a retainer. This block may be mounted in various wayabut as shown there is provided a metallic bracket 2| secured to the stationary con-' tact 8, and screws 22, 22 extend forward through the retainer III and engage threaded holes in the bracket 2|. When the retainer 20 isin place and held by the screws 22, 22 as described, it engages the blocks I5, I! to prevent forward removal thereof. The forward retainer 20 also serves to hold the switching member and to serve as a frontguide therefor. The said retainer is provided with a slot-20" into which the edge portion of the insulating plate il projects, but the slot is somewhat wider than the said plate II so as to permit limited lateral movement for the purpose already set forth. It will be observed that with the retainer 20 in place the switchin member and the insulating blocks l5, I! are held against removal in the forward direction, but that upon removal of the retainer 20 the said switching member and the said blocks are freely removable in the forward direction.

The fuse contact ll carriedby theswitch contact I is one of a pair of fusecontacts and the other contact of the pair may be mounted in any suitable manner. As shown there is a companion contact 28 mounted ona small insulating block 24. The block 24 is in turn mounted on a metallic bracket 25 secured to'the rear wall I of the cabinet." when there are 'two pairs offuses and two blocks 24, 24 as shown, both blocks may be mounted on the same metallic bracket 25.

Preferably in order to tie together the two switching units and in order to provide an addi tional front guide for the switching members there is a transverse insulating plate 26. This plate 26 is supported by means of downward extensions I, 2 I on the before-mentioned brackets 2|, 2i and is secured to the said bracket extensions by means of screws 21. As already stated, the plate 26 serves as an additional front guide for the switching members and the said plate may be provided with rearward projecting pins as, 2| for limiting lateral movement of the said switching members. It will be understood that the tie plate 28, while preferred, is not essential and may be omitted if desired. when the tie plate is omitted the said retainers 20, 20 serve as the sole front guiding means for the switching members.

means, two stationary opposed switch contacts on the supporting means and perpendicular thereto, switching member rectiiinearly movable between the stationary switch contacts and comprising a movable contact with oppositely disposed faces adapted to engage or disengage the said stationary contacts, two removable insulating blocks located to provide opposite insulating walls closely adjacent the paths of movement of the faces of the movable contact, and an insulating retainer separate from the said insulating blocks and located at the front thereof and at thefront of the switching member, the said retainer normally serving to hold the insulating blocks in place and also normally serving as a front guide for the switching member and the said retainer being removable so as to permit removal of the, said blocks or of the said switching member.

I 2. In an appliance of the type disclosed, the combination of a rear insulating supporting means, two stationary opposed switch contacts on the supporting means and perpendicular thereto, a switching member rectilinearly movable between the stationary switch contacts and comprising a movable contact with oppositely disposed faces adapted to engage or disengage the said stationary contacts, two insulating blocks separate from the supporting means and located to provide opposite insulating walls closely adjacent the paths of movementof the faces of the movable contact, means for normally supporting the blocks on the rear supporting means but permitting free removal in the forward direction, and an insulating retainer separate from the said insulating blocks and located at the front thereof and at thefront of the switch member, the said retainer normally serving to hold the insulating blocks in place and also normally serving as a front guide for the switching member and the said retainer being removable so as to permit removal of the said blocks or of the said switching member in the forward direction.

3. In a fused switch, the combination of a rear insulating supporting means, two stationary op-' posed switch contacts on the supporting means and perpendicular thereto, a switching member rectilinearly movable between the stationary switch contacts and comprising a movable contact with oppositely disposed faces adapted to engage or disengage the said stationary contacts, a pair of coacting fuse receiving contacts one of which is'flxedly mounted on the forward portion of one of the said switch contacts,- two removable insulating blocks separate from the supporting means and located to provide opposite insulating walls closely adiacent the paths of movement of the faces of the movable contact, and an insulating retainer located at the front of the switching member and at the front of the said insulating blocks and directly behind the axis of a fuse in the said fuse contacts, the said retainer normally serving to hold the said insulating blocks in place and also normally serving as a front guide for the switching member and the said retainer being removable so as to permit removal of the switching member or of the said blocks without disturbing the mounting of the said fuse contact on the said switch contact.

JOSEPH SACHS. 

